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ICFTU-APRO Regional Dialogue with International Financial Institutions
ADB Headquarters, Auditoriums A & B Manila, Philippines, 10-11 October 2002

Post Workshop Statement

Background

The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), is a Confederation of national trade union centers, each of which links together the trade unions of a particular member country. ICFTU was set up in 1949 and has 225 affiliated organizations in 148 countries and territories on all five continents, with a membership of 157 million. It has three major regional organizations:

• APRO for Asia and the Pacific
• AFRO for Africa
• ORIT for the Americas

ICFTU-APRO's major task is to strengthen the capacity of workers and trade unions in playing an effective role in the social dialogue to be able to reassert their voice in decision-making. The ICFTU-APRO, in pursuance of the resolution of the regional conference of 2000 to work for the establishment of the trade union committees to International Financial Institutions (IFIs) and regional economic groupings, as well as the conference thematic paper calling for the presence of trade unions in IFIs has expanded its activities towards a better understanding of and cooperation with IFIs. It has also initiated regular regional dialogues.

Better dialogue with labor unions is also an important element of ADB's Social Protection Strategy approved in September 2001. Labor unions have an important story to share about the importance of employment and good working conditions for development. It is also important that unions understand the development dilemmas that IFIs face. A good dialogue and common understanding can bring significant benefits to all parties and contribute to DMCs' social and economic development.

Objectives

IFIs provide technical and financial assistance and capacity building activities for poor developing countries to promote economic and social development. The interplay of IFI's labor market policies, privatization, poverty and gender equality in their stabilization and structural adjustment programs and its compatibility with their poverty reduction policies have a significant bearing on labor and trade unions.

The regional dialogue provided

• an opportunity for labor and trade unions to interact with IFIs for creating the necessary understanding and strengthening the process of mutual consultations
• be a good avenue for IFIs to outreach communities and civil society and receive feedback from unions regarding their participation in the countries in the region.

At the regional dialogue, participants

• ascertained the roles, functions, conditionalities and operational modalities of IFIs
• recognized the concerns and responses of trade unions on the initiatives of IFIs and the impact on recipient countries
• understood IFIs' Poverty Reduction Strategy Programs (PRSPs) and Structural Adjustment Programs (SAPs)

Participants

Participants include representatives from the World Bank, IMF, ADB, trade and labor unions from the Asia and Pacific region.

Resource Speakers

• Tadao Chino, President, ADB
• Sis. Sharan Burrow, President, ICFTU-APRO
• Bro. Noriyuki Suzuki, General Secretary, ICFTU-APRO
• IMF Representative
• WB Representative
• ILO Representative
• Mr. Akira Seki, Director General, RSDD, ADB
• Mr. Brahm Prakash, Director, RSPR,ADB
• Ms Isabel Ortiz, Senior Social Economist, ADB

Dialogue Documents

• Better Working Conditions Essential to Region's Progress, ADB President Tells Conference (News Release)
• Participants (As of 9 October 2002)

Contacts

Sabur Ghayur
Director, Institutional and External Relations
ICFTU-APRO
Singapore
Tel: +65 222 6294
Fax: +65 221 7380
Email: sabur@icftu-apro.org

Isabel Ortiz
Senior Social Economist, ADB

Myrna Magbitang
Conference Coordinator
Tel: + 632 6324444
Fax: +632 636 2444
Email: mmagbitang@adb.org